


Tell Me You Love Me

by kawaiisumi



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blindness, Blow Jobs, Deaf, Fluff and Smut, I Love You, Kissing, M/M, Minor Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Nonverbal Communication, Sign Language, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:48:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21555760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaiisumi/pseuds/kawaiisumi
Summary: Everyone else had what he could only hope for – what he craved most in the world.A soulmate.In this world, no one was ever complete until they met their soulmate. In this world, you were unable to see or unable to hear without them. Makoto wonders what it’s like to be able to hear the world.Aka, love conquers all.Written for the Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2019.
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85
Collections: Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2019





	Tell Me You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Phayte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phayte/gifts).



> I think the idea of a soulmate is such a beautiful, pure thing. There is no couple in Free! that I believe are more fated to be soulmates than MakoHaru.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to Phayte for the Tachibana Makoto Birthday Gift Exchange. I'm really squeaking in here at the last moment, but I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it.

**Tell Me You Love Me  
** _Aka, love conquers all._

Makoto wakes up to his shoulders being shaken. He pries his eyes open, peering blurrily at his younger sister who sits on top of his chest. When their eyes meet, she grins cheekily. She runs a hand through her hair, before signing to him: _wake up! Mom and dad are waiting with breakfast downstairs._

Makoto smiles back at her, scooping her up in his arms so he can sit up. His younger brother squeaks from his perch on Makoto’s ankles. _No fair! Me too!_

Makoto ruffles his hair, offering his brother his free hand. Together, they all go down the stairs, where their mother is waiting with the most delicious breakfast spread. Ran and Ren scurry off to their seats, while Makoto breezes by his mother to give her a kiss on the cheek. _Breakfast looks delicious_ , Makoto says, loving the way her face lights up with a smile.

_It’s an important day. Important days need important breakfasts._

Makoto slides into his seat. His brother and sister argue about who gets to have the most pieces of bacon. Makoto’s mother dances around the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee for their father. _We’ll leave in half an hour,_ his father signs, _make sure you’re ready to go._

Makoto nods, sprinkling a pinch of pepper on his sunny side up eggs. He’s been ready for this day since he was born. He was born in a small port town on a rainy November night. Iwatobi had been his home ever since then. Living in a small town had its perks. He knew basically everyone in town. He was a 10-minute walk from the beach. He spent his childhood running up and down the hills, climbing trees, and lying in the sweet-smelling grass. Every memory of his childhood is soft and beautiful and everything he could hope for.

But it’s lonely.

Everyone else had what he could only hope for – what he craved most in the world.

A soulmate.

In this world, no one was ever complete until they met their soulmate. In this world, you were unable to see or unable to hear without them. Makoto wonders what it’s like to be able to hear the world. He wonders what kind of songs birds sings, what waves sound like crashing on the shore. Jittery with nerves, Makoto glances at his wrist, where a pale but distinct little clock etched into his skin counts down the seconds, minutes, hours until he meets his soulmate.

8 hours, 27 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Makoto’s going to meet his soulmate today. His heart skips tenderly at the thought. What will his soulmate look like? What colour will their hair be? Their eyes? Do they sign quickly or slow and steady? Makoto washes down his breakfast with a tall glass of juice. He pushes away from the table, giving his mother a big smile. She rounds the table to press a gentle palm to his cheek. She stares into his eyes, green like hers, fingertips grazing his skin. _I love you_ , she signs, as she pulls away.

Makoto excuses himself from the table, clamouring up the stairs in hasty delight. By the time he’s dressed and ready for school, his timer already reads 8 hours, 6 minutes, and 21 seconds. For once in his life, Makoto doesn’t think time could go any slower.

His dad, brother, and sister are waiting at the door. Makoto helps Ren tie his shoes and Ran fix her hair. They all leave the house together, their mother waving from the front door. Their father leaves them at the fork in the road at the bottom of the hill. Makoto ushers the twins to Iwatobi Elementary as the teacher beckons the children inside. _Good luck today!_ Ran signs to him eagerly.

Makoto turns on his heel, walking briskly toward Iwatobi High School. There’s a spring in his step today. The leaves are changing colour, cradling the robin blue sky in a sea of orange, red, and gold. Makoto breathes in the smell of autumn, brisk morning air and Iwatobi’s infamous sea salt.

He makes it to class with time to spare, sitting at his desk in the back corner of the classroom. He sweeps the room, looking for an unfamiliar face, even though it is far too early. His timer says he still has hours to go.

The teacher begins her lesson, and Makoto’s eyes flutter between what she writes on the board and what the sign language interpreter signs from her side. Every kid in his class has gotten used to this. After all, many people in his class could already hear, but a majority of them were still deaf.

Makoto can’t imagine what it’s like to finally be one of the kids who can hear the lesson.

He glances out the window for a split second, eyeing the other school building across the courtyard. The other section of the school hosts the students who are blind. Makoto’s never gotten a chance to meet any of the students there before. If he did, he isn’t sure how he’d ever communicate with them. They can’t see him sign, and he can’t hear them talk.

Thank God your soulmate was missing the same sense as you.

Makoto wonders if his soulmate will cry at the sound of his voice.

* * *

When the school day ends, Makoto frantically packs up his bag and breezes out of the classroom without another thought.

50 minutes, 49 seconds.

Makoto stops at his locker to change his shoes. He can’t stop his hands from shaking. Someone claps him on the back, and he jumps nervously. When he turns, Nagisa is standing there, wiggling his eyebrows. _Are you excited?_ He signs eagerly to Makoto with a flourish.

 _I’m nervous_. Makoto nibbles on his bottom lip. _What if they don’t like me?_

_They’re your soulmate Mako-chan, they’re going to love you no matter what._

_I don’t think that will calm his nerves Nagisa-kun._ Rei walks up to them, looping an arm around Nagisa’s slim shoulders. Makoto gives them a smile.

Nagisa and Rei met in their first year of high school. Despite looking (and acting) anything like each other, they connect on a level far deeper than anyone could see on the surface. They complement each other in ways people could hardly begin to understand.

It’s the power of soulmates. Makoto aches to feel like that too.

Nagisa grins goofily, planting a big sloppy kiss on Rei’s lips. _Can’t blame a guy for trying,_ he signs, laughter tittering from his mouth when Rei whispers something in his ear.

 _Good luck Makoto-senpai,_ Rei squeezes Makoto’s arm comfortingly. _Would you like to walk with Nagisa and I to the corner store for popsicles before you go?_

Makoto glances at his wrist and back up at his two friends.

43 minutes, 21 seconds.

 _Okay_ , he agrees, giving his tingling hands a good shake.

 _Maybe Mako-chan will meet his soulmate at the store!_ Nagisa suggests.

They walk to the convenience store 5 blocks down from the school. Nagisa’s favourite flavour is strawberry. Rei argues with him to only buy one popsicle, while Makoto looks on. He glances out the big windows at the front of the store, eyes trained on every person that walks by. Nagisa nudges him in the ribs with his elbow, gesturing for him that it’s his turn to pay. Makoto hands the shop keeper a handful of coins. He peels open the packaging of his blue raspberry popsicle, splitting it in two. He watches Nagisa do the same, handing the other half to Rei.

Makoto really hopes his soulmate likes blue raspberry as much as he does.

He eats aimlessly. His legs feel restless and he paces the store, reading headlines on the tabloids, and catchy titles in magazines. Makoto’s gaze falls on the bulletin board hung in the corner by the front door. There’s an ad for a street music show happening just down the block.

On any other day, Makoto wouldn’t think twice. He’s gone to music shows before. He likes watching the faces of the people playing, but it’s just not the same when you can’t hear what they play.

The poster says the show starts in 10 minutes.

Makoto glances down at his wrist.

15 minutes, 38 seconds.

Makoto turns on his heel, rushing up to Nagisa and Rei, who bicker animatedly about something they watched on television last night. They fall silent when he approaches. _I’m going_ , Makoto hands the uneaten half of his popsicle to Nagisa.

The two other boys smile, looking knowingly at each other. _Good luck Mako-chan_ , Nagisa wiggles his eyebrows.

Makoto nods, heading for the door.

The afternoon sun is warm on his face. It’s Makoto’s favourite time of day. The cold bite in the morning air is gone. The sun is golden as it kisses the horizon. By the time Makoto is down the street, he can barely breathe. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to catch his breath as the first musician sings a song and strums along on the guitar.

There’s a decent size crowd gathered, bopping along to the beat. Makoto watches the way they move and sways along. With a subtle glance at his arm, he reads 2 minutes, 4 seconds. The guitarist strums the final chord with a big flourish of his arm. Makoto joins in on the applause politely. He looks both ways, scanning the faces of the crowd for someone, anyone, that might be looking for him.

The guitarist clears the little stage, a soapbox turned upside down, beneath a veranda of a small café. Makoto inhales the smell of freshly brewed coffee that wafts through the air as the musician exits into the building.

The door swings open once more, a musician slinging a violin case across his back making his entrance.

Makoto squeezes his eyes shut. For a moment, it feels like he can feel everything all at once. The hair on the back of his neck rises, sending shivers down his spine. His knees feel like jelly, his heart feels like an overfilled balloon.

And there’s a ringing, the loudest, most demanding ringing, ripping through his ears. It sounds like what driving through a tunnel and being overwhelmed by daylight on the other side feels like.

Makoto gasps for air, clutching his head, as sound spills into his head for the very first time. He can hear people’s voices, the sound of their footsteps on the sidewalk, the sound of people’s lungs filling with air, the leaves on trees rustle through the wind. And most of all, he can hear the most beautiful violin.

It sings like a swallow singing with its last dying breath; hauntingly sad and melancholy in a way that vibrates in Makoto’s bones. It makes him feel full of a nostalgia he’s felt has been missing since he was born. Makoto turns his head, this way and that, looking for someone. Someone who’s hearing the same violin for the very first time. Someone who hears all these paralyzingly beautiful sounds for the very first time.

Someone who’s looking for him.

Makoto searches and searches the crowd for someone who looks as bewildered as he is. He scans face after face of stranger who looks through him like he’s not even there.

_Where are you?_

Makoto swallows hard. The last, sorrowing note of the violin rings in Makoto’s ear and fades into silence. Makoto looks at the violinist, who slowly lowers the violin from his shoulders and opens his eyes.

Makoto has never seen eyes so blue in his entire life. The whole ocean could be in that boy’s eyes, tossing and turning like the turbulent waves of the sea. His chest throbs with need, heart lurching as the boy’s mouth falls open. His luscious, pink lips part and he steps off the soapbox heading straight for Makoto.

 _What’s happening… What’s happening?_ Makoto can barely think. He glances down to his wrist in panic.

Zero.

“It’s you.”

The boy with the blue eyes stands in front of him. Makoto feels his face flood with a warmth he’s never felt before. His heart is on fire. Someone’s dropped a match in his chest, and he’s burning from the inside out. “Ah…” Makoto squeaks in a rusty, gravelly voice.

 _I can’t… understand you._ He signs in a haze, watching blue eyes flutter in amazement.

His eyebrows furrow, and he sweeps a hand across his forehead to brush long black hair from his temples. “You… You don’t speak?” The stranger asks, but Makoto has no idea what he’s saying.

Makoto cheeks bristle with embarrassment. He points to his ears, and then presses his index finger firmly to his chest. _I am… I was… deaf._

The boy’s eyes move slowly, blinking more than Makoto has ever seen someone blink before. They look at him like they can see every part of him; every touch, every memory, everything he has ever been through. The boy touches the corner of his eyes, then points to himself. He lifts a shaky hand and presses his finger on Makoto’s chest. “I was blind… until I saw you.”

Makoto doesn’t know what he’s saying, but something deep inside him tells him its important. A wash of anxiety floods through his stomach, overflowing into his chest. The boy turns over his wrist, for Makoto to get a good look at it.

Zero.

Makoto’s mind reels in honey golden slow motion. The boy swallows, Makoto watching the way his Adam’s apple moves on his perfectly sculpted neck. He is everything Makoto imagined him to be, lithe and toned, with an elegance he can only hope to have.

Makoto feels a hand on his shoulder, nearly jumping right out of his skin. Nagisa and Rei are on either side of him, grinning like idiots. But their faces falter when they see the expression on his face. _Mako-chan? What’s wrong?_ Nagisa asks.

Makoto looks once again at the countdown on his wrist. Just hours ago, he was daydreaming about his soulmate in class. Now, he’s here. His soulmate is standing right in front of him. Everything feels so right, and so wrong at the same time. He doesn’t even know the other boy’s name. He can’t talk to him; can’t understand him. Makoto feels tears prickle in the back of his eyes.

“I’m Nanase Haruka,” the boy finally offers. Makoto hears the sound, the pacifying strength in his voice makes Makoto’s knees feel weak. He looks to Nagisa and Rei helplessly, who make quick work with their hands.

 _He said his name is Nanase Haruka,_ Rei signs.

“But I like being called Haru.” Haru fidgets uncomfortably. His hands twitch at his sides, and it takes him a moment to find his courage. He reaches awkwardly for Makoto’s hand. Touching Haru’s skin sets Makoto ablaze. Every nerve in his body sings with relief; relief to find the one person he’s been looking for his entire life. For a moment, everything feels perfect. Everything feels like it will be okay, as long as Haru is there.

Makoto imagines this is how paired soulmates feel every day. The tears are pouring from his eyes before he can stop them. This isn’t how he planned to meet his soulmate. He didn’t plan to meet them in the middle of the street, crying, without knowing a thing they were saying.

But he’s here, and Haru is here. Haru shifts his weight onto his toes, wiping the salty tears from the corners of his eyes. “Don’t cry,” Haru murmurs. His breath tickles Makoto’s skin. When Makoto looks at him helplessly, he tries again. Haru points to his eyes, wiping away metaphorical tears with a shake of his head.

Makoto feels his stomach flutter with laughter. He’s never heard laughter before, but he loves the way it sounds. It sounds like freedom; the release of a life that’s felt love. He thinks Haru feels the same way too, watching the way his eyes twinkle at the sound of Makoto’s voice. Haru starts to talk, and Makoto is forced to look away from Haru’s captivating gaze to look at Nagisa.

 _My name is Nanase Haruka,_ Nagisa translates for him, _I was born blind. You are the very first thing I have ever seen._

_My name is Tachibana Makoto. I was born deaf; I’ve waited my whole life to meet you. Your violin is the first thing I’ve ever heard._

Rei repeats the words to Haru in words that make sounds he can’t begin to comprehend. But Haru’s lips curl into the smallest of smiles. “You’re my soulmate,” Haru says directly to Makoto. He takes Makoto’s hand, placing it on his chest. Makoto can feel Haru’s heart, beating to the same thrumming rhythm as his own. “Soulmate,” Haru says again.

Makoto purses his lips, flushing embarrassedly as he tries to copy, “S-s-soul… mate.”

If Makoto thought Haru was smiling already, he was terribly, terribly, wrong. The sound of Makoto’s voice has Haru smiling in his eyes, laugh lines crinkling warmly. Haru turns to Rei, asking a question. His eyes follow Rei intently, as he moves his hands.

Haru turns his attention back to Makoto, sweeping his arm in one fluid swoop before spelling out exactly what Rei showed him with his hands.

_Soulmate._

* * *

No matter how much Makoto looks, he cannot find any evidence of another incident quite like this. Soulmates were the universe’s handcrafted sign of fate. They were meant for each other. They completed each other.

But never once had a pair of soulmates ever been opposites.

They were supposed to have both first seen for the first time. They were both supposed to have heard for the first time. It wasn’t supposed to be one and the other.

Makoto can’t understand a word Haru says, but every time he’s with him, it’s like that barely matters. They’re learning. Slowly but surely, they’re learning what it means to communicate in the way their partner knows how. It’s a slow process, but it means all the more time they spend getting to know every inch of each other’s being.

They’re at Haru’s house. Makoto is surprised by Haru’s home at first, which looks just as any other house he’s ever been in. Sometimes he forgets there was a time when Haru couldn’t see anything. But he remembers when Haru can’t stop staring at him. He looks at Makoto like he’s art, even on the most ordinary day. Makoto has come to realize Haru is extraordinary in his very own way; taking what feels like it should be mundane and turning it into something beautiful.

Makoto stretches out on the floor, legs tucked under the warmth of the kotatsu. It’s winter now. Snow blankets the sidewalks and streets. Makoto loves the sound of snow beneath his feet. He loves the sound of children laughing as they throw snowballs at each other and make snow angels. And most of all, he likes the sound of Haru’s breathing when they lie together like this.

Haru is curled at his side, arm draped over Makoto’s middle. His eyes are open, eyelashes a curtain framing royal eyes that can’t stop drinking in the sight of him. Makoto shivers when Haru’s gaze sweeps his face; the curve of his jaw, the softness of his lips, and the flush on his cheek. Haru meets Makoto’s eye, bringing his arms together to hug his chest, _I love you._

Makoto brushes the stray hair from Haru’s face, inhaling the sweet scent of the lemony shampoo. “I love you too,” Makoto whispers slowly. He rests his forehead against Haru’s, and they hold there for a while.

“Makoto…” Haru cups Makoto’s face in his palm. Makoto’s skin tingles with goosebumps. It doesn’t matter how many times Haru touches him or how many times Haru says his name. It’ll always feel like the very first time.

Haru’s chin tilts forward and Makoto knows exactly what he wants. His lips meet Haru’s in the middle. He slides his hand behind Haru’s slender body, pressing him closer against his chest. Heat blooms within his ribs as Haru nibbles headily at his bottom lip.

These moments are the kind where no words need to be said. The spaces between the lines fill with love, fill with a deep tenderness Makoto doesn’t think words can explain. Haru’s hands rush through Makoto’s hair, keening desperately into Makoto’s touch. He exhales sharply in satisfied tones that ring in Makoto’s ears.

It makes Makoto want more. He wants to be with Haru in every way that he can. He knows they’ll find their way there someday. But for now, he relishes in the sounds Haru makes when he kisses him just right. He shivers at the feeling of Haru’s study of his face, like he’s trying to memorize every freckle that dots the bridge of Makoto’s nose.

Haru’s climbed on top of him now, legs straddling Makoto’s hips. He leans in for a deep kiss, pulling away slowly to leave Makoto begging for more. Haru’s lips find his jaw, his neck, and the tender sweet spot of his collarbone. Makoto groans at the sensation, helpless as Haru pushes aside his shirt to nip at his shoulder.

Haru has Makoto’s shirt tossed away onto the floor somewhere before Makoto can even blink. Haru explores Makoto’s skin, tensing at the feathery touch of Haru’s fingertips. Haru withdraws for only a moment to sign quickly, _beautiful._

Makoto loops his arms around Haru’s body, pulling him down to meet him in a tangled frenzy of lips, tongue, and teeth. Haru shivers on top of him, melting into Makoto’s hands as his shirt follows Makoto’s somewhere on the floor. They kiss like they are each other’s air, coming up for breath only when Haru moves back to just look at Makoto.

They may not always be able to communicate with words, but Makoto’s learned so much of what Haru means to say with the way his eyes look at him. Haru looks at him like he can see everything that Makoto is. He looks at him like he means something. Love twinkles in Haru’s irises in flecks of gold Makoto will never be able to get enough of. Looking into Haru’s eyes is all Makoto needs to know how much Haru loves him.

Haru sits back on Makoto’s hips. His fingers trace the subtle lines of Makoto’s abdomen, grazing the top button of his pants. Haru bites on his lip, withdrawing for a moment. “I want you,” Haru points to himself, then at Makoto.

The desire burning on Haru’s face is more than enough for Makoto to know what Haru is asking for. Makoto nods, caressing the back of Haru’s neck to pull him back into a frenetic kiss. Haru groans, tongue sliding into the warmth of Makoto’s mouth like it belongs there. Haru’s hands greedily undo Makoto’s pants, shoving them down his thighs until Makoto is able to kick them off completely. Makoto rolls them over, helping Haru remove his own clothing.

This isn’t the first time they’ve done this, and definitely not the last. Makoto pulls away from ardent kiss to kiss down Haru’s body. He relishes in the sounds Haru makes when he does. He’s waited his whole life to hear anything, and he’s so goddamn glad it gets to be Haru’s voice.

Makoto locks his lips around one of Haru’s nipples, tweaking the other in his fingers. Haru whimpers, gripping Makoto’s hair tightly as Makoto rolls the sensitive nub with the flat of his tongue. “M-Makoto… Mmmm…. Mmm!” Haru cants his hips up, desperately seeking out friction from Makoto’s body.

Makoto thrusts his hips down, an absolutely guttural sound leaving his mouth before he can stop it. He kisses lower and lower. Haru pulls at his hair harder, arching his back when Makoto bites his inner thigh. Makoto licks the reddening skin, nuzzling his nose between Haru’s legs. “M-Makoto…” Haru tilts his head, eyes glossy but determined.

_Do it._

Makoto kisses the head of Haru’s erection, cherishing the way Haru’s legs fall open for him. Haru twitches beneath him, crying out when Makoto begins to take him into warm mouth. Makoto bobs his head up and down, humming along the ridges of Haru’s cock. “Ah…” Haru keens his hips forward. Makoto slackens his jaw, feeling Haru push his way deeper into the depth of Makoto’s throat.

Haru’s thighs clench spastically, signalling to Makoto that he’s close. Haru repeatedly tugs on Makoto’s hair – an invitation to move away before it’s too late, but Makoto refuses. He wants everything, _needs_ everything, Haru can give him.

Haru comes with a great exhale. His fingers tighten around Makoto’s locks of hair, before loosening as warmth fills Makoto’s mouth. Makoto slides back, tilting his head back to swallow. Haru smiles stupidly at him, licking his lips in search for a kiss that Makoto readily gives him. With Makoto close against his chest, Haru takes the opportunity to flip Makoto onto his back.

Makoto reels in surprise, dazed until he feels Haru’s hands drift south, kissing every inch of his skin. The sight of Haru between his legs makes his cock twitch excitedly, eyes trained on the way Haru’s lips stretch over the head of his cock. “Oh… H-Haru…” Makoto moans helplessly.

Makoto’s learned that hearing Makoto say his name turns Haru on more than anything else. Haru swallows Makoto’s dick entirely, sucking slow and tender. It doesn’t take long, with Haru it never does. Makoto finishes, rolls of pleasure coursing through him in shockwaves so powerful he can’t even find his voice.

Haru pops off him with a satisfied smirk. His face is a mess of sweat, bangs plastered to his face. _I love you_ , Haru says with his eyes.

“I love you,” Makoto replies, in words he’s never known until he met Haru.

Haru scoots up, resting his head against Makoto’s chest. Makoto runs his fingers through Haru’s sweaty hair.

There’ll be a day where words won’t be lost between the two of them.

But for now, the connection between them transcends all of that.

One day, Makoto will be able to explain just how much Haru means to him.

But for now, Haru’s skin against his own, listening to the sound of Makoto’s heartbeat is all Makoto needs.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos or comment if you liked it, I'd appreciate it so much!
> 
> Follow me on twitter @kawaiisumi for more :)


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